West Africa Project Fair, Accra, Ghana, 2010

On Sunday Nov 7, the 6th Annual West Africa Project Fair (WAPF) commenced. The opening events included several Rotary style speeches/informational sessions, coffee breaks, lunch breaks, and dinner. And the second day of the event was dedicated to projects. 46 Rotary clubs from the West African countries displayed their present and future projects that they are working on in their communities. They present their projects to other Rotarian's so that they can possibly form partnerships for the projects.

I was very impressed with all of the projects that were presented, as well as with the professionalism of the project presenters.

The fair is organized by the host country Rotary clubs and attended by other West African country Rotary Clubs, and the "International Partners". I was among the 32 International Partners from the US and Canada present at the fair.

 A group of us posed for a quick photos with our new friends from Senegal, Africa. We all became very close on the trip: From left (in blue): Brenda, Cynthia, (me), Karen, Severine, Robert, & Cindy. Below: Some fellow Rotarian's from Senegal.

 The project booths; 46 booths in all and many of the International Partners visited every single booth. It was a sweltering hot day, so it was intense. To give you an idea of what it was like I can relate it being presented with a formal proposal presentation. However, the heat index was over 100 and each proposal took anywhere from 5-15 minutes to go through. The African Rotarian's did an incredible job and are doing incredible work to help those in need.

 This is during one of the break-out sessions. For Rotarian's - we discussed the RI Future Vision Plan, pilot districts, and the 6 ways in which Rotary is making an impact around the world.

 My friend from the Rotary Club of Accra-Airport (District 9100).

 Pictured below: Jane McDonald the left and me on the right. Jane is from Chicago, but currently in the Peace Corps in Lome, Togo West Africa. She joined our group while we were in Accra. What an amazing person! I enjoyed hearing her stories about Africa, and hope to someday spend time catching up with her again. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Atakpame, Togo - she represented the project booth for the club at the WAPF.

 Charles, Danielle and I during lunch. Danielle and I were having an interesting conversation about the intense dreams everyone was having.

Rotarian's from Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

 The view at the Golden Palm Beach Resort where the fair was held. If you didn't know better it could be Hawaii.

This is a photo of locals gathering fish from a net that had just been pulled in. Fishing boats are also visible in the background. They worked to pull in the fish net for quite awhile.

 During a break the locals on the beach were selling bracelets, necklaces, and other crafts on the beach. We learned the fine art of bartering with several of the locals...

The WAPF closing dinner celebration. We had a traditional tribal music and dance group for the evening entertainment.

I sat next to Christopher from Yenagoa, Nigeria. We had a great conversation about the needs in Nigeria,

and a very dynamic conversation about the language differences, politics, etc. 

Adidome - Project Day

On Saturday, November 6, 2010 we travelled to Adidome, Ghana a village located near the border of Togo. We visited the International Needs Vocational Training Centre (INVTC) while in Adidome.

This facility was established in 1990 to provide liberated Trokosis (defined later) and other vulnerable women with skills training in Dressmaking, Hair-dressing, Baking, Textiles, Soap/Powder/Pomade, Beads production, Kente/Mat-weaving etc.



 Currently 150 women and children are living at the Centre. Often women come to the center pregnant or already have had a child as a result of being enslaved... The following picture illustrate some of the training classes. In this photo the girls are making hair extension and wigs.

 A sewing class. The girls make all of their own clothes at the center.

 Beads are being rolled in this photo. The girls make these beads and then make jewelry and sell the products in their own businesses. The school also teaches basic bookkeeping and accounting skills.

 These bead are made of clay. They are all hand made from the clay and rolled into these forms.

 The housing quarters accommodate 150 women and children. During the rainy season these areas become very unpleasant and difficult to navigate I am sure. I did not see an adequate rain water removal system, and the centre is located very close to a body of water.

 This is the cafeteria. It appeared to be open air, so in the case of rain, it could be very uncomfortable for the girls, yet safe.

 In the background you can see the ovens used for baking bread and for smoking meats.

 The girls are making a traditional bread batter in these photos.

 I cannot remember what this is called - if anyone remembers, please post.

 This is the traditional cloth material used throughout Ghana for making dresses and shirts. The process is very extensive as all of the design work and construction is done by hand.

 After our tour our group was entertained with some traditional African tribal dance. The school was celebrating the installation of their brand new power generator. This project was funded by USAID, and Rotary International. The local club involved was Accra South. What an exciting day for the school!

 The International Partners (That would be the group I was with including myself), presented the school with School supplies.

 The picture doesn't do it justice, but the school was very appreciative. Thank you Rotary Club of Fort Wayne for your kind donation of schools supplies to this school.

 The dedication ceremony. You can see the generator in the background. Representatives from Rotary International and USAID were present.

 This is one of the young girls who was brought into the school after her enslavement, and her child. She is beautiful.

Trokosi is the enslavement of scores of girls and young women in the Volta region of Ghana and other nations of West Africa, to a life of virtual slavery and prostitution. Traditional religious shrines take young girls, as young as 4, in “payment for services,” or “religious atonement” for alleged misdeeds of a family member. The girls are denied education and human affection, they are sexually abused, and forced to serve in hard labor. They receive no compensation and frequent harsh punishment. If a child dies or manages to escape, the family may be penalized and forced to replace another child. Though the practice has been outlawed, it is still practiced.

The purpose of INVTC is to empower these young women with life skills in order to allow them the ability to re-enter society successfully.

What a day, what an amazing school. This is a prime example of the good work Rotary is doing throughout the world. This is an ongoing project, and the schools still has many needs that need to be fulfilled - as illustrated in some of these photos.

This playground equipment is in need of repair or replacement..

 Yet the children are happily using it.........





More on Immunization day.

So, as I mentioned earlier we participated in an immunization day in Accra, Ghana, on Friday Nov 5. We had a great day, although the heat was a bit sweltering, and I am sure I drank 3 or 4 liters of water and sweat out at least that much..

Following our adventure at the public schools, my friend and fellow Rotarian Karen and I were transported to another neighborhood where we were to provide more immunizations to the private school students. It was interesting because we had to carry large bags of water packets and all of the medicines to the school drop points. We became a little scared when we realized that it was just her and I in the middle of a neighborhood and there were no other local Rotarian's in site. Although I am certain there was a brief moment of anxiety for both of us, we realized we had a job to do, "Service above Self", and we quickly figured out what to do next.

After delivering water and supplies to an Islamic school we found as school called the Fountain School. I am told the Fountain School is a private school, but am not sure if it is a religious school. In the photos you will quickly notice a significant difference in the conditions the students are experiencing as compared to my previous post.

When Karen (on the left) and I entered the school we set up shop. Would you believe we administered to 400 students here? It took forever, and the students kept coming. Ages 5-16 at this school. Beyond this age they go to the High School. We were sweating profusely. To the point where it was getting into our eyes. Thankful for the bench though. It was a very hot day - 95 with a heat index of 104. Each student had to be accounted for.

The students were very polite, and were required to wash their hands regularly - this did not happen at the first school.

The classrooms were well equipped compared to the standard found at the public school.

 After a full day of humanitarian work the local Rotarian's graciously invited us to their homes for lunch where they provided us with a feast of good food and fellowship.

"Out of Pocket"

Good evening everyone. I apologize for not giving you regular updates. As you can readily see, the pictures did not upload on my last blog update. There is a good reason for this... Internet connectivity in Africa is far from reliable. In fact, I cannot tell you how many times I have lost picture uploads, and blog uploads. For the past couple days I have not been able to access a connection that is reliable enough to do a full upload. Just understand, I am not ignoring you all. Sometimes facebook works a little faster, so for today, I posted some pics on my page. They related to some of the good work Rotary is doing in Africa.

On Friday Nov 5, we took part in humanitarian efforts throughout Accra Ghana. Much of the work involved a de-worming effort in local schools. However, we also provided measles immunizations, and immunizations for other life threatening illnesses. Most people know of Rotary in relation to the longstanding goal of removing Polio from the face of the Earth. Although Ghana has not been officially named polio free, there has not been a new case reported in Ghana for close to two years. (This is according to the locals).

Many of the children are conflicted with a worm that causes them to have bloated stomachs. It is very difficult to witness children living in the conditions that are often prevalent in African countries.

Our group first worked with young children in public schools between the age of 3 and 12 or 13. The students attending the public schools in Ghana are among the poorest of the poor in the World.

My heart sunk when so many of these young children wanted to know my name, and they asked my number. Many of them said, "Mr. Mr. won't you please take me home"! There we so many of them, they were so sincere in their requests. It literally broke my heart to know we could not help them all. As I stated in earlier blogs, I am at a loss for words.

The young man next to me really captured my attention - he had a very innocent look on his face. They were so excited to see the Rotarian's there.

I was very happy to see these teenage boys in school, there were not many over 12 in the school..... Perhaps they were working or who knows what.

 Once the immunizations were complete, the entire school had to be accounted for. The children used this time to spend taking pictures with us. They were so happy. Given the misfortunes many of them have  experienced, I am so glad to see the smiles on their faces.

I will never forget this day.

In a little bit, I will post some about our experience going to the private schools and discuss the differences. We had a little adventure.... I will just say, I was with one other Rotarian in the middle of an Accra slum area  without a guide.

Good morning from Accra!

Good Morning from Accra! I know it has been a few days since I have been able to connect for a period of time long enough to get a posting uploaded for you all, but I assure you I have been keeping a journal of my experiences here in Accra. To be quite honest this experience has been a little overwhelming, and in a good way. In talking with my counterparts here in Accra, they have expressed a similar feeling of information overload. Now that I am more settled in, I am better able to reflect on the experience in a more legible way.

As I stated in my previous posting, we were scheduled to visit one of the local markets, do a little site seeing, a West African Rotary meeting/welcome, and go to a political briefing at the US Embassy in Ghana on Day 2.

Although we were able to accomplish all of the planned events for the day, there was a bit of a learning curve involved with the days outing. One of the first things I have come to learn about Ghana and maybe Africa in general is that the culture here is not very respectful of time. And for my friends back home, you know how important it is for us to keep to a schedule – especially with respect to our meetings. As an example, our group was told we should meet in the hotel lobby at 8:15AM as the bus would be departing at 8:30AM. Since we are a group of mostly working professionals and a few retirees, we were all more than prompt; however we waited for an extended period for the bus. It is interesting to observe the "American" reaction to the African disregard for timeliness. For the most part, we all take this cultural difference in stride, but some of the members of our group became visibly agitated. For those of you who know me well, you know I am pretty laid back and I fit into the group who would prefer just going with the flow of things. That is unless of course there is work to be done!

Once the bus arrived, we quickly departed and we began our day touring the local communities. It is important in any new environment to take it kind of slow the first day or two so that the body and mind can become acclimated to the environment. Keeping this in mind, the site seeing on the first day gave us a glimpse into the culture of Ghana without giving us too much exposure. The mind can only take in so much information before becoming paralyzed – and in my case I have been on the edge of paralysis since day 1. There is a lot to take in, and I believe it is difficult for most Americans to truly understand this environment. It is unlike anything I have seen in all of my travels. The level of poverty I have witnessed in Ghana is extreme and I certainly can think of nothing to compare it to in America. The slums here are far and wide. And what I mean by this is, I am not just seeing a few shacks, what I am witnessing are densely populated areas where literally thousands of people are living in shacks coupled with what I would call "pockets of opulence" and more distinctly modern buildings. The city certainly has its modern day amenities and is scattered with multi level buildings, but I have yet to witness a supermarket, or major mall. Most of the inner city consists of office buildings, historical sites, and slums.

This picture was taken while we were riding along one of the primary roads in the inner city near an area called Jamestown. It is very common to find slums scattered along the coast line. I have been told by some of the locals that it is common to have as many as 10 people living in one of the shacks you see in this photo. And on a side note, this is one of the smaller slums. It is interesting that the slum is located in area that has such an incredibly view of the Gulf of Guinea. And what I find concerning about it is that the people living directly on the coast have no adequate protection from in climate weather.

These people are living in completely inhumane conditions. And there are a lot of facts and figures I can share with you, but often times they are skewed by the simple fact that the number of people in question is quite high. As an example, to say the people living in Ghana are earning more than the International poverty level, we are simply saying they earn more than $1.25 per day. It is no way to live. And I can honestly say that the conditions I have witnessed here have provided me with a new perception of what it means to be living in poverty. More on this later.

Although the images of slums are permanently stamped in my mind, this does not begin to provide a fair and adequate depiction of the conditions in Ghana. And one of the things I would like all you to know is that the Ghanaians are working very hard to rise up out of these conditions. Out of all of the West African Countries, and some would say most of Africa, Ghana is probably doing the best and has a growing economy. We were lucky enough to visit the new US Embassy in Ghana where we received an economic and political briefing from the local staff at the embassy. The briefing provided a tremendous amount of information with respect to what our government is doing to help Ghana reach some their goals. Rotary International and USAID, play a big role along with the State Department in helping the people of Ghana move forward, and out of their "third world" status into a growing and vibrant economy. I can honestly say, that the work they are doing is as important to Ghana as it is to the entire region Africa in question. There was a tremendous amount of information shared with us with regard to the economy, but the biggest news in Ghana right now is Oil.

Oil was found off the coast of Ghana in 2007, and the supply will begin coming "on-line" in December. The government of Ghana has been careful to handle the resource in a way that will not push the country into the unstable conditions found in nearby Nigeria where most of the "oil money" has not found its way back into the economy and has been funneled out. According to US Embassy officials, oil has not done good things for Nigeria as they are living in conditions far worse than those of their nearby neighbor Ghana. Ghanaians want to handle their newly found wealth in a more structured and economically sustainable way. And the important thing to glean from this is that the people of Ghana truly do strive for a better way of life. Their number one threat is that educated and skilled Ghanaians are leaving Ghana for opportunities overseas. Because of corruption and lack of structure in the economy, professionals like doctors and lawyers can find higher paying jobs in the United States, so they are leaving. We were told that by 2015 more than 50% of the population in Ghana will be under the age of 25. If this is true, with the job scarcity the country already experiences, I wonder what will there be for all of these young people do?

There is much more to share on this, and again I cannot emphasize enough – we have had to process a tremendous amount of information. What I am trying to do is share some pieces of the information with anyone who is following the blog, and incite questions from you. I think it is important to note that there is opportunity in Ghana and one of things I found is that there is a lot of foreign investment taking place right now. China happens to be one of the biggest investors…

On day 3 (Friday Nov 5) we will take part in the Community Health Program. I am very excited about this, and can't wait to share the stories and pictures with you later. Post your questions and comments!

I leave you with some photos of Jamestown and surrounding areas within Accra:

This is the shell of what used to be a market. You do not see "grocery stores" in Accra. There are a lot of shops selling a limited variety of items.

Here is an example of one of the shops in the inner city. The picture doesn't do it justice, but the people are VERY friendly.

I have to get going, but I PROMISE to put up more pictures later today… Hold me to it!

 

 

 

Greetings from Ghana!

Good evening to all of you folks in the US. I am happy to finally have an opportunity to provide my first official update! I trust all is well back home.

I am new at blogging, but I really want to do my best at creating an informative and interesting blog for anyone who is able and interested in following along. If you have questions, post them here - I will certainly reply as soon as I am able. The Internet access in the Hotel is not really the most dependable and we have also found that the electricity is not either....

These postings will provide you a brief glimpse of my first impressions of Accra, Ghana. I will take you through a quick summary of my first day in the Country and move expeditiously into day two where the adventure truly begins! My hope is to give a good representation of my perceptions of the culture and the overall feel of this truly incredible part of the World.

After an eleven hour flight from Atlanta, I arrived in Accra, Ghana at 12PM on Tuesday Nov 3. Although I did not sleep much on the plane, I felt rested and energetic enough to take in the surroundings, but I have to admit I was not necessarily running on all engines so to speak.

The first day in Accra was very informal. We were transported to our hotel, the Novetel in Accra. The bus ride from the airport was fairly quick. I was quickly taken in by the amount of locals in the streets selling products. They were literally walking between lanes selling everything under the sun. They would tap on our windows and yell at us trying to get us to buy their products. I found out later that many of the people working in the streets come from slums located within and just outside Accra. The median income in Ghana is approximately $1.25 per day. (More accurate data later). Many of the locals I saw working in the streets are earning money for their families who live in small shanty towns. It is common for extended families to have one “bread winner” in the family to feed the whole family.  More later on the local economy, but I thought should insert a bit of the local economic situation.

After our quick trek to the hotel and a little time to refresh after the long flight, I met with the rest of the Rotary group. For those of you who do not already know, I am here with approximately 28 other Rotarians who have traveled here from North America.  Most of the group is made up of Americans, and we have a few from Canada.

After our orientation, we all went to the hotel lounge to spend some time in fellowhip. We were all very tired and warn out from our travels, so the evening closed up at around 9:30PM local time. For day two we will visit one of the local markets, do a little site seeing,  a West African Rotary meeting/welcome, and go to a political briefing at the US Embassy in Ghana.

Day two is coming – phew, I am sooo exhausted. BUT LOVING IT!!!!!!!!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

So,its about 24 hours until I board my plane to Ghana in West Africa.  Packing is underway and I'm in the final scramble to finish up all my necessary office work before I leave.  I decided to start a blog so that I can document my experiences in Africa and keep everyone informed about the progress of the project.  What project, you might ask?  Well, for those who haven't heard, I am traveing to Africa for a Rotary humanitarian project.  Over the course of the next two weeks, I will be participating in a local immunization project.  I will join a small group of Rotarians and we will be traveling to rural villages around Accra to administer vacciens for Guniea-worm to young children.  This life-threatening disease, while preventable, is very prevelant in African countries where there is not sufficient access to clean drinking water.

While in Ghana, I will also be participating in the West Africa Rotary Project Fair.  This exhibition will bring Rotarians from throughout Africa together to discuss the needs within their villages.  Through participating in their local initiatives, and traveling to their villages to see their living conditions and resource needs, I will discover ways in which my home Rorary club can help assist in these African villages.

And it all starts tomorrow when I depart from the Fort Wayne International Airport at 5:35pm.  I will be traveling from Fort Wayne to Atlanta, and then I will connect to a direct flight to Ghana.  5,500 miles and one 11 hour flight later, I will land in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. 

So stay tuned....as I will be blogging daily about my experiences and progress on this trip.  (that's in theory, at least...)  I am not sure if there will be daily internet access avaliable, but I will do my best to keep everyone up-to-date!

Thanks to all who offered their financial assistance as well as prayers of safe travel.  If you'd like to learn more about my trip, you can visit my project trip website at http://www.rotaryafricaproject.weebly.com/. or follow my blog to stay informed!